Quote:
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Originally Posted by btdt
R-1, R-2 No out
Fly ball to deep center caught by F-8
R-1 tags and advances to 2nd
R-2 fails to tag up and is slow in returning to 2nd
Ball comes into F-6 covering 2nd
F-6 tags R-1 and then steps on 2nd for the appeal play
Is this a double play?
or
Does R-1 have sanctuary on 2nd even though the base still belongs to R-2?
Can't figure out which rule would cover this.
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Damn - that's a good question!
Quite frankly, I'm not 100% sure what the correct answer is to this.
I'm going to give it a stab though:
One thing I'm sure about is that R2 is
definitely out for leaving early. I don't think there can be much debate about that.
At first, I thought that the
order in which the events occurred might make a difference:
SCENARIO A
1. a tag of R1 followed by,
2. an appeal on R2
-or-
SCENARIO B
1. appeal on R2 followed by,
2. a tag of R1
The fact that R2 left early cannot be considered a factor by the umpire
until a proper appeal is made. Until the defense makes an appeal, everything R2 did is considered legal no matter how obvious it was that he left early. Consequently, if the first thing that happens is that R1 is tagged (as in SCENARIO A), the umpire should rule him safe since 2nd base is available. The fact that R2 left early is not a factor
until an appeal is made -so- at this point in time R2 is considered to have
legally left 2nd base. A subsequent appeal on R2 should cause the umpire to rule him out - after all, he
did leave early.
So, in SCENARIO A, R1 is safe and R2 is out. This was the order in which the defense took action in the original post.
Now, let's say the defense does it the other way around (as in SCENARIO B.) Would that change anything?
The first thing the defense does is make an appeal on R2. He should be declared out since, as before, he
did leave early. That frees up 2nd base for R1. A subsequent tag of R1 should not be recognized. R1 is safe.
In
both scenarios the outcome is the same: R1 safe - R2 out.
That's my analysis. I'll keep an open mind to be convinced otherwise, however.
David Emerling
Memphis, TN